S1E4: Taking Chances (2007)
Deciding what to keep and what to throw away—and where to put whatever is not thrown away— is always a long and difficult process after a loved one passes away, and this episode is the one during which Amy and Lou must work together to accomplish this task. Amy still has not reconnected with her father, Tim, in person, but the process is begun for her through Lou, as the two sisters look through their father’s old memorabilia left in their mother’s room. The sisters find a letter written from Fort St. John. The real place where Heartland is filmed is a town named High River. Assuming that the fictional Hudson is intended to be in the same place as the real High River, then the letter had come from almost 1000 kilometers (almost 620 miles) to the northwest of where the girls found it.
Having now the understanding that his placement at Heartland will be for the long term, since Jack agreed to sign for his papers in Marion’s place, Ty, who admits to being much more comfortable on motorcycles than on horses, attempts to learn to ride with two coaches—Mallory and Amy—simultaneously giving him advice, and each vying for his attention in her own way.
The episode introduces Ben, a relative of Lisa’s, whose presence and attitude on the ranch will contradict nearly every tenet of the Heartland way of life, causing substantial friction between him and the ranch’s permanent residents. For the first time, in this episode, a herbal supplement is mentioned. Throughout the series, countless times, Amy will try whenever possible to use a natural herbal remedy to accomplish a goal, only opting for a synthetic or more invasive remedy when no natural one exists or when the natural course had already been tried and proven ineffective, having picked up this tendency from her mother.
Fishing with Jack—specifically fly fishing—is an important activity in the plot for the first time in the series during this episode, and it will remain so for the rest of the series.
When managing a barn, especially one in which there are both ample opportunities for turnout and spacious stalls like at Heartland, it is important to periodically (most often at night) check on the welfare of the horses. This is the first occurrence of a “night check” which carries some significance to the plot: that most of the ranch’s residents are either in bed by now or are busy handling the last check before going to bed themselves allows Lou to stay indoors and call Tim from the house. However, Jack enters the kitchen, where the call had taken place, just as it ended, and Lou lies about who her interlocutor was, claiming it was Carl (her boyfriend from back in New York City) rather than her father, as it actually was. Meeting Tim in town later that week, Loud discovers Tim now works at Big River Ranch, a cattle operation owned by Ray Phillips.
The following morning, Ben and Red are out on the trails, and the two of them nearly run Lou over, revealing two important things: first, a parallel between this meeting of two characters and the way Amy and Ty had met in the premiere; and second, that Ben is not just apathetic to Red, but also quite possibly abusive and overbearing. Later that day, in the jumping ring at Heartland, any doubts about the abusive relationship between Ben and Red are taken away, as Ben’s abusive tendencies are put on full display, as are the differing training philosophies of Heartland and Briar Ridge. As I had mentioned in the introductory post, I’ve been taking lessons with the same coach and at the same barn for about as long as Heartland has existed. And since I’ve started watching the series, my approach has changed, coming ever closer in line with Amy’s approach. The best human-equestrian relationships are the most equal partnerships, and it’s our job to show them we view them as partners, not tools.
While Red is missing because he threw Ben off at a river while they were on a trail ride, Ty has gone to Briar Ridge at Ashley’s behest, assured that he can have a much better-paying job there than working for Jack and that his probation arrangements will not be problematic. Having recovered Red, Amy and Mallory make their way back toward the ranch from the creek where they were riding, but Red’s fear of water causes him to rear as he is being ponied across the river following Spartan. Now having lost Red again and dealing with another accident where Amy is seriously hurt, Mallory returns to the ranch as quickly as possible and alerts Jack of the accident. Ty finds red again while out on his motorcycle, and Tim simultaneously finds Amy at the creek, coming down a cliff on horseback to find her face-down by the riverbed. Tim plunges into the river and swims across, but Jack and Lou have already reached the groggy Amy and the two take her to a hospital. Soon after, she returns home, and many secrets about Tim’s previous attempts to contact his family are revealed. Having finalized arrangements with Ashley, Ty leaves Heartland to pursue opportunities at Briar Ridge.
Having now the understanding that his placement at Heartland will be for the long term, since Jack agreed to sign for his papers in Marion’s place, Ty, who admits to being much more comfortable on motorcycles than on horses, attempts to learn to ride with two coaches—Mallory and Amy—simultaneously giving him advice, and each vying for his attention in her own way.
The episode introduces Ben, a relative of Lisa’s, whose presence and attitude on the ranch will contradict nearly every tenet of the Heartland way of life, causing substantial friction between him and the ranch’s permanent residents. For the first time, in this episode, a herbal supplement is mentioned. Throughout the series, countless times, Amy will try whenever possible to use a natural herbal remedy to accomplish a goal, only opting for a synthetic or more invasive remedy when no natural one exists or when the natural course had already been tried and proven ineffective, having picked up this tendency from her mother.
Fishing with Jack—specifically fly fishing—is an important activity in the plot for the first time in the series during this episode, and it will remain so for the rest of the series.
When managing a barn, especially one in which there are both ample opportunities for turnout and spacious stalls like at Heartland, it is important to periodically (most often at night) check on the welfare of the horses. This is the first occurrence of a “night check” which carries some significance to the plot: that most of the ranch’s residents are either in bed by now or are busy handling the last check before going to bed themselves allows Lou to stay indoors and call Tim from the house. However, Jack enters the kitchen, where the call had taken place, just as it ended, and Lou lies about who her interlocutor was, claiming it was Carl (her boyfriend from back in New York City) rather than her father, as it actually was. Meeting Tim in town later that week, Loud discovers Tim now works at Big River Ranch, a cattle operation owned by Ray Phillips.
The following morning, Ben and Red are out on the trails, and the two of them nearly run Lou over, revealing two important things: first, a parallel between this meeting of two characters and the way Amy and Ty had met in the premiere; and second, that Ben is not just apathetic to Red, but also quite possibly abusive and overbearing. Later that day, in the jumping ring at Heartland, any doubts about the abusive relationship between Ben and Red are taken away, as Ben’s abusive tendencies are put on full display, as are the differing training philosophies of Heartland and Briar Ridge. As I had mentioned in the introductory post, I’ve been taking lessons with the same coach and at the same barn for about as long as Heartland has existed. And since I’ve started watching the series, my approach has changed, coming ever closer in line with Amy’s approach. The best human-equestrian relationships are the most equal partnerships, and it’s our job to show them we view them as partners, not tools.
While Red is missing because he threw Ben off at a river while they were on a trail ride, Ty has gone to Briar Ridge at Ashley’s behest, assured that he can have a much better-paying job there than working for Jack and that his probation arrangements will not be problematic. Having recovered Red, Amy and Mallory make their way back toward the ranch from the creek where they were riding, but Red’s fear of water causes him to rear as he is being ponied across the river following Spartan. Now having lost Red again and dealing with another accident where Amy is seriously hurt, Mallory returns to the ranch as quickly as possible and alerts Jack of the accident. Ty finds red again while out on his motorcycle, and Tim simultaneously finds Amy at the creek, coming down a cliff on horseback to find her face-down by the riverbed. Tim plunges into the river and swims across, but Jack and Lou have already reached the groggy Amy and the two take her to a hospital. Soon after, she returns home, and many secrets about Tim’s previous attempts to contact his family are revealed. Having finalized arrangements with Ashley, Ty leaves Heartland to pursue opportunities at Briar Ridge.
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